Government makes a strategic climbdown

BBMP told to focus on encroachments on channels inter-connecting lakes

August 28, 2016 03:05 am | Updated 03:05 am IST - Bengaluru:

Citizen initiative: Sajan Poovayya, advocate, B.N. Vijaya Kumar, MLA, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP, former Speaker Krishna, H.S. Doreswamy, freedom fighter, V. Balasubramanian, former Additional Chief Secretary, and A.T. Ramaswamy, convener of Anti-Land Grabbing Action Committee, at a meeting in Bengaluru on Saturday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Citizen initiative: Sajan Poovayya, advocate, B.N. Vijaya Kumar, MLA, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP, former Speaker Krishna, H.S. Doreswamy, freedom fighter, V. Balasubramanian, former Additional Chief Secretary, and A.T. Ramaswamy, convener of Anti-Land Grabbing Action Committee, at a meeting in Bengaluru on Saturday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Saturday, directed the BBMP to concentrate on removing encroachments on channels that inter-connect various lakes. He also directed officials to refrain from demolishing properties that have encroached on Storm Water Drains (SWDs) that are not in use, have lost the character of a drain and not causing flooding.

This is clearly a significant shift from the civic body’s drive to remove encroachments on all drains (1,923 encroachments identified by Revenue Department). The ongoing drive over the past three weeks saw several houses and commercial properties razed amidst allegations of discrimination in favour of malls and big builders.

The decision came on Saturday at a meeting chaired by the chief minister where Congress MLAs from the city, mayor, deputy mayor and senior BBMP officials were present. Sources told The Hindu that the MLAs had met last week to discuss the alleged ‘unpopularity of the demolition drive’. Pressure from within the party to go slow, apart from intense lobbying from the realty lobby forced the State government to climb down, said a source.

The decision comes just a day after the Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India, Karnataka held a conclave where the realtors and the banking sector expressed concern that the demolition drive is affecting ‘Brand Bengaluru’.

Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy said that the BBMP has prepared a list of 38 encroached drain stretches which are flood-prone. Removal of encroachments will be taken up on a priority basis to prevent any further floods this monsoon, he said. “The government is trying to prioritise the drive in flood-prone zones. Other encroachments will be handled later, not let off the hook,” he assured.

Meanwhile, there is no clarity on the fate of the ongoing drives in various zones and properties for which the survey report is awaited — Orion mall in Rajajinagar, Gopalan Arcade mall and Ideal Homes Layout in Rajarajeshwari Nagar, for instance.

Mr. Siddaramaiah is reported to have directed BBMP officials not to spare anybody encroaching inter-connecting channels, blocking water flow causing floods. “It is wrong to accuse the government of sparing big builders. We have demolished many residences that are worth over Rs. 5 crore. There has been much appreciation for the drive, taken up for the betterment of the city,” he said.

Strong guidelines needed

Activists have already begun to the question the arbitrariness that the direction from the chief minister allows in the selection of encroachments to be removed.

“There are already allegations of discrimination in favour of big builders. With this latest development, how can we believe the subjective decisions taken by BBMP officials? There has to be a scientific study to identify the drains causing floods and proper guidelines laid down for removal of encroachments. Accepting a list of 38 spots prepared by the BBMP is not an option,” argued Kshitij Urs of Peoples Campaign for Right to Water.

Another activist pointed out that many earlier promises to remove encroachments had never materialised. Now, the assurance to clear the flood-prone zones of encroachments before moving on to other encroachments does not elicit any confidence.

BDA flats or sites for property losers?

Following pressure from Congress MLAs to compensate people affected by the demolition drive, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday announced that the government is contemplating on a suitable mode of compensation.

The chief minister agreed to the proposal based on arguments that most of those who have lost their properties have been duped by developers and the government is also culpable, as agencies provided all necessary permits for these properties, those present in the meeting told The Hindu .

The chief minister is learnt to have directed the BDA to explore the possibility of allotting ‘poor property losers’ a flat in one of its group housing projects or a site in the upcoming Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout.

Though the chief minister mentioned only ‘poor property losers’, officials said that if the government does act on the proposal, the same principle would apply to all the affected persons.

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